Opponent: Monterey Bay FC
Match Date: June 29
Location: Weidner Field
Doors Open: 6pm MT. Limited tickets remain available HERE!
How to Listen: XTRA Sports 1300am with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish – coverage starts at 6:30pm MT.
Coach Chambers’ Comments: “It was a good performance [against New Mexico United] – we controlled the game in the first half, and [we] should have been four-nil up in all honesty. And we take the positives from [the game] and we’re disappointed with what we came away with from the week [on the road]. We obviously [worked] on some things [during the week] and then the main thing for us is to respond [and] make sure we put a response together for the home crowd coming here on Saturday night. That’s what we’re really focused on, but we also know there’s a really good opponent coming in here too. “It was a tough week, but that’s the schedule – we can’t change it. It’s the reality and everybody goes through it. We managed [the team] as best we could and we had a full week [and] obviously a four day lead up to Monterey, and [the players] are in good spirits. They’re focused on putting on a [performance] again and we need to make sure that we do that this weekend.”
Opposition Outlook: “[Monterey had a] great result against Oakland and [they will be] buoyed full of confidence after that and [they have] some real threats,” continued Head Coach Chambers. “We’ll make sure we do our due diligence as always and try and put on a performance that gets us a result. [Former Air Force Academy Falcon Tristan Trager] is playing more as a central 9 now for Monterey and causing a lot of trouble. [Trager] has scored goals wherever he’s been – with the [Air Force] Academy, Atlanta, Charleston, or at Monterey. So he’ll be looking to come back here [and perform] and I’m sure he has friends or family in the area that he’ll want to impress. [Trager] will be one of a number of [Monterey] players that we have to make sure that we lock up. [Monterey] have really good pace with [Alex] Dixon and then [Jesús] ‘Chuy’ Enríquez on the other side, and they’ve got some really good attacking pieces in the middle of the field. [Monterey] will be a really, really direct, transitional-based team that will look to exploit us athletically in the final third, so we’ll have to look after ourselves and make sure we take care of the ball and just put on a performance like I said.”
Vargish’s View: Playing well in the rarified air of Colorado Springs is a skill to which Monterey frontman and leading scorer Tristan Trager is particularly suited. For Trager to pilot Monterey to victory in Colorado Springs, the Golden State native will have to see far more of the ball than he did when his 10-men Monterey team lost against North Carolina FC in their most recent road test. Mexican defender Rafael Baca will be suspended for Saturday’s clash in Southern Colorado after being red carded in the dying minutes of stoppage time in Monterey’s 2-1 win over the Oakland Roots last Saturday night in Seaside, California. The Switchbacks’ last-second penalty kick loss to New Mexico United was as deflating as a hot air balloon ride with a porcupine. On Saturday night, the same verve and energy that was shown in the 505 could earn the Switchbacks three points. But Monterey like to be attacked – they want to absorb pressure with their experienced defenders and hit teams quickly on the counterattack. If that reminds you of the Switchbacks, it should, and it will lead to an end-to-end match on Saturday night that deserves to be seen in person.
